Defeating Discouragement

Defeating Discouragement
By Dr. Larry Ollison

Have you ever been discouraged? I mean really discouraged. So discouraged that you felt like giving up? Let me ask you this. Are you discouraged today? Do you feel like giving up? Well, if you answered yes, I have good news for you today. You do not have to be discouraged. That's right. God has a plan in His Word, the Holy Bible, that tells us how to defeat discouragement.

Discouragement is a combination of fear, depression and a lack of hope. We could almost call it “anti-faith.” Discouragement is not from God and He does not want you to have it. When we are discouraged we do not function in the spirit realm the way God wants us to. When we are discouraged, it becomes difficult to hear God and easier to listen to the discouraging words of the world.

The Bible tells us that when the Hebrews went out of Egypt, they wandered in the wilderness. Although they were under the leadership of Moses, they did not enter into the Promised Land for 40 years because they did not believe God. What did God say that they didn't believe?

Listen to this. God told them that if they would go into the Promised Land, He would fight all their battles for them. Now, also keep in mind that this is after they had crossed the Red Sea on dry ground and when the enemy tried to follow, God closed the waters and the enemy was completely destroyed. God had already proven His ability to fight. All the Israelites had to do was let Him.

Before making the decision to listen to God and enter the Promised Land, the Israelites sent twelve spies ahead. When they returned, they all gave their reports. The spies did not all agree. Two of the spies gave a positive, encouraging report and ten gave a negative, discouraging report.

The ten negative speaking spies said the land was full of giants. In fact, they said the giants were so large that the Israelites were like grasshoppers to them. This was an obvious exaggeration, but the people believed the negative report of the ten spies instead of the positive report of the two. The Bible says the people then became discouraged and decided not to enter into the land God had for them.

Thousands of years have passed, but people still are the same. When they hear a negative report they get discouraged.

The world is full of negative reports. It seems that everywhere you go there is someone telling you, “You won't make it,” “You can't win,” “God doesn't want to heal you,” “Faith doesn't work,” and so on and so on. The world does not want you to make it. But here's the good news. God does!

God's words are positive. God's words are full of faith. His Word says in Psalm 103:3 that He heals all our diseases and in Psalm 34:19 it says, “Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all.” And in Romans 8:28 God's Word says, “that all things work together for good to those who love God.”

Well let me ask you this. Whose report will you believe? Will you go with the majority and believe that all is lost? Or will you go with God and let Him fight your battles for you?

Be encouraged. God does not lie. Believe His Word and act on it. Then discouragement will flee.